Granny Square Blanket in Gentle Giant

Our Granny Square Blanket in Gentle Giant takes something totally classic and boosts its proportions into something totally modern. We love how this blanket makes us rub our eyes to make sure we’re seeing correctly, such a familiar pattern at such an unfamiliar scale!

And using our jumbo Gentle Giant means that this Granny Square Blanket is also a lot quicker to finish than we’re used to. Each 10-inch square is accomplished in just three rounds, and the entire blanket is only twelve squares… You do the math!

Our incredibly soft and cozy Gentle Giant merino comes in a palette of colors that hits nature’s prettiest notes, from Winter Bark to Cowrie Pink. Hook up this 12-color version of the blanket with our Gentle Giant Blanket Bundle in a Dozen Colors, or choose a more limited palette with our 9-skein Bundles that make an equal-size blanket. Either way, your Granny Square Blanket in Gentle Giant will definitely make a giant statement!

Another Option

Our Gentle Giant Blanket Bundles are also available as nine-skein Bundles. They include enough yarn to make the same size blanket as the one you make with the Dozen Colors Bundle, but with only three Contrast Colors instead of twelve. Each one includes…

Foundation Ring

With a Contrast Color (CC), ch (chain) 6 and join into a ring with a slip stitch.

Round 1

Still with the CC, ch 3, make 2 dc (double crochet) into the ring, ch 2 (this ch 2, and every ch 2 that follows, forms a “corner space”), [3 dc into the ring, ch 2] 3 times, slip stitch into third chain of the ch 3.

Cut the CC, leaving a 4 or 5-inch tail, and pull the tail through the remaining loop on the hook.

Round 2

Leaving a 4 or 5-inch tail, join the Main Color (MC) to any corner space with a slip stitch.

Cut the MC, leaving a 4 or 5-inch tail, and pull the tail through the remaining loop on the hook.

NOTE: Each skein of MC makes two squares. Cut the tail as described when you’re finishing the first square, but when you finish the second square, leave the remaining length of MC attached so that you can use it later to sew together your blanket!

Continue

Make 11 more squares like this one. If you’re using the Dozen Colors Bundle, start with a different CC for each square; or if you’re using a 9-skein Bundle, make four squares with each CC.

Finish

Arrange

Once you have 12 squares, arrange them in a way that pleases you. Here is how we arranged our 12 colors…

32 Responses to Granny Square Blanket in Gentle Giant

Thanks for writing in! I am so sorry about the wool allergy. Unfortunately, we do not carry a non-wool yarn in a similar thickness to Gentle Giant. You could strand a non-wool yarn. Based on gauge, I think that roughly 3 strands of Blue Sky Worsted Cotton crocheted together should give you a similar gauge.

Thanks for writing us! I think it’s a great idea to do a striped blanket. We don’t currently have a crochet striped blanket in this weight of yarn, so you’ll want to make a gauge swatch in the crochet stitch you choose. You’ll want to multiply your stitches per inch by your desired width in inches. This will give you a rough cast on number. From there you can stripe away! Best of luck and let us know if you have any other questions!

Sorry for the delayed response! Unfortunately, the Granny Square pattern is a crochet pattern, however, we do have some great knit blanket patterns in our Knitting Gallery. Have you checked any of those out? The Flying Geese Knit Baby Blanket and the Mosaic Blanket are among my favorites! Please let us know what you think!

Thanks for writing us! You can hand wash this blanket or dry clean it. It cannot be put through a washing machine, as it will felt. In general, it always depends on what kind of yarn you choose for the afghan. If you choose a washable wool then you can wash it in the machine but not dry it. Otherwise, your best bet is to always hand wash. Best of luck!

I’m planning on making this blanket with just two colors–“Heirloom White” as the center contrast and “Pigeon Gray” for all the rounds after that. Based on the other bundles, I’m guessing I’ll need 6 skeins of Pigeon Gray. How many skeins of White would I need for the center contrast?

Also, if I wanted to add a simple border (maybe just 1-2 rounds), how much additional yarn do you think that would require?

Thanks for writing in and for the wonderful comment! I don’t have an exact amount as to how much the center accent takes but I do think that three or four skeins will be very safe. If you don’t wind them, you can exchange the unused skeins for store credit. Better to be on the safe side!

Hi, I was planning to double the size of this blanket, but wonder how this affects the number of skeins I’d need, especially as it relates to options for CC combinations (I want to keep leftover yarn to a minimum). What’s the yardage used for MC and CC for a single granny square? In other words, how many granny squares can I get out of a single skein of CC – 4, or more than that (and similar question for a skein of MC)?

Thanks for your interest in this pattern! You can get three center accents out of one ball of Gentle Giant and two outer squares from one ball of the main color. This includes yarn for seaming the squares. I suggest you get 12 skeins of the MC and eight of the MC to double the blanket. Best of luck!

Hi! Thanks for the reply – sorry, but my math does not seem to add up for the Contrast Colors. Your bundles show that I’d only need to buy 3 skeins to complete the blanket in it’s pattern size (4 squares of accent CC per skein), implying I’d only need 6 skeins to double it, not 8?

Thanks for writing back. I’m so sorry for the miscommunication! I think that you’ll be able to get away with six skeins for the center if you use one color only. I’d go for seven skeins if you want to switch up the CC colors. Best of luck!

Such a great update on a classic blanket! Do you think mixing Gentle Giant (for the MC) and Cascade Magnum (for the CCs) would work? I have specific colors in mind for the center accents, and they’re available in Magnum but not Gentle Giant. Thanks!

Thanks for writing in! While Gentle Giant and Magnum have slightly different gauges, I think that the difference is small enough that they would work well together in a project. Let us know how it turns out!

Thanks for writing in! I am not really familiar with Wool Ease but looking at Lion Brands selections, Wool Ease comes in a variety of weights. Our Gentle Giant yields 1.5-2 stitches per inch and the thickest Wool Ease (Thick and Quick) yields 2.25 stitches per inch. For this yarn, you will want to go down to and M or an N hook. This will also yield a bit smaller of a blanket. You could try crocheting an extra round around each square to make it the correct size.

Thanks for writing back! You can definitely use the Q hook. Just note that your fabric will be lacier than if you used an M or N hook. I would swatch with the Q hook and make sure that you like the fabric. The lacier the fabric, the less warm the final blanket!

Hi! I’m learning to crochet and thought this pattern might be good for a beginner being chunky and quick…what do you think?
I’m in Australia – is there a local supplier of this yarn, or what is the shipping cost to Australia?
Thanks, Melanie.

Thanks for writing in! I think that granny squares are a great start for new crocheters. Sometimes a large hook can be a little stressful on the wrists but just be sure to take frequent breaks and you should be great!

Our yarns are only available from our store or through our website. Happily, we do ship internationally and all of the details regarding shipping abroad can be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/shipping/

I’m about to stitch the squares together using the long ends (4-5” on each square) and I’m wondering how exactly to do this. Each side is 10” which is twice the length of the long ends. How is it done?

Thanks for writing in! For this pattern, each skein of MC makes two squares. Cut the tail as described when you’re finishing the first square, but when you finish the second square, leave the remaining length of MC attached so that you can use it later to sew together your blanket! That is to say that every second square should have a longer tail than 4-5″. As we sew the squares together two at a time, one length should sew two squares together. We also have a very handy tutorial for sewing together granny squares that can be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/sewing-crocheted-squares-together/